TBBC Camp Visit: Ban Mai Nai Soi (Site 1), Mae Hong Son, Thailand Site 1: The

Long and Winding Road The Thailand-Burma Border Consortium (TBBC) had its first Extraordinary General Members (EGM) Meeting for this year in Mae Hong Son from 13-16 March 2012. ICCO is a Board Member of TBBC. The border camps have been existing for the past 28 years. Everyone flew to Chiang Mai in time for the Tuesday morning flight to Mae Hong Son. Unfortunately the Northern Haze (brought by forest fires for the past days) led to the last minute cancellation of the Nok Air flight. We were all waiting for the boarding call when they announced that we have to proceed to the Nok Air desk to collect our checked-in bags and ask for ticket refunds. Good thing, TBBC had Plan B. We had vans on stand-by, and we took it for the 5-hour land trip to Mae Hong Son. We were warned of the major loops (zigzag roads) from Chiang Mai to Mae Hong Son. Most took the anti-dizziness pills at the start of the trip. Since Thailand has well-maintained road networks, it was not as bad as the crater-marked roads I've grown up with in the Philippines. Maybe the influx of tourists helped maintain the infrastructure here. Striking Views After a night's rest, we woke up early for the camp briefing. It was still foggy went we took our different vehicle assignments (all 4x4, to navigate the tricky terrains to the Site 1 camp). Each vehicle had 4-5 passengers, and we had a total of 7 rides in convoy. Site 1 is the result of camp consolidations in 1996, which was originally setup in the Karenni border in 1989. Due to its isolated location,there is no mobile phone coverage, and electricity for the camp office and health and education centres are dependent on power generators. Currently, the population stands around 15,000 individuals, and about 10,000 have resettled to third countries from 2006 to 2011. After getting our necessary camp passes, we visited the warehouse and met the field staff explaining the storage and distribution rules in this camp. This camp is unique in this regard due to the Thai Camp Commanders' orders (under the authority of the Royal Thai government, also known as RTG; the commander reports to the Ministry of Interior or MOI). Commodity distribution to camp residents take place not in one day (which is the practice in most TBBC camps) but in several days in observance of the RTG's schedule for the delivery of various commodities (rice, charcoal, iodized

salt, asia remix/fortified flour, etc.). The warehouse is actually outside the camp residential area premises.

Of the numerous discussions, the most striking for me were the meeting with the secretary general of the Karenni Women's Organization (KnWO) and the RTG Camp Commander. The know highlighted the gender dimensions of living in the camps for almost 3 decades, and most critically the unforeseen impact of the food ration1 cuts. She shared stories of domestic violence arising from the food ration cuts, notably rice. Men have become violent to their wives and families, to the extent of selling other commodities in exchange for rice. And women, given the traditional expectation to care for the family have more frequently, gone out of the camps in the early mornings, to find replacements for the ration cuts. Sometimes they bring their children, to take on day/farm jobs that no local Thai will do and get paid for about 80 baht (roughly 2 euros/day). In this camp, 3 suicides (2 men, 1 woman) have been reported since the start of the year. The RTG Camp Commander validated these stories by showing us pictures of apprehended camp residents (many are women and young people), and cutting of trees (as charcoal replacement or for the leaking temporary shelters). He also mentioned one camp resident (man) who was arrested for breaking into another house outside the camp. He was looking for food, he needed more food for his family. The incidents have become more frequent with the increased ration cuts. He has emphasized the long standing policy of the RTG that camp residents2 cannot go out of camps without the necessary authorization, and they cannot take on temporary paying jobs outside the camp. If they do, they will be violating the laws on Illegal Migrants (refugees cannot be migrant or temporary workers), and the national parks (for cutting trees). He feels burdened in arresting the refugees, since these are mothers who will be separated (jailed) from their children, and eventually de-listed from the UN refugees category. He has reprimanded the first offenders but he cannot not arrest them the next time they are caught, or else he will be violating the laws he has to uphold. He fears that with the decreasing overall support to the refugees and the camps, there will be more unauthorized influx into the cities, more arrests and de-registration from the UN refugees list, and more social disputes in the communities. He has asked the international community to, please try to understand...please continue helping the refugees. What Can We Do In the short-term, support the actions that will keep the vulnerable women and men in all the camps receive the required food and nutrition as well as related health and education services which will contribute to future safe
1 2 Based on international nutrition standards, the reduced food ration is below the recommended 1,200 k/cal by 20%. Since 2005, the RTG and UNHCR has stopped the screening and registration of refugees in all border camps. Thus the refugee identity and its related rights have been contested on many fronts.

returns and relevant skills and knowledge for democratic nation-building.In the medium and long term periods, support the peace processes that underline respect for human rights of women and men including all ethnic groups and persons with disabilities, and transitional justice mechanisms to promote accountability and safe returns of all refugees and displaced peoples. In the meantime, let us not be stampeded into the same errors experienced by many nations transitioning to democracy by using the same western (or northern) formula to dissimilar conflict contexts, and pushing for bigger investments inside Myanmar when there is still no direct orders for cessation of armed hostilities. Romina Beng D. Sta.Clara ICCO Liaison Office, Bangkok, Thailand